Malicious software, also referred to as malware, may infiltrate computing devices and threaten the privacy of consumers. Malware programmers often program malware capable of embedding itself within legitimate software programs. Malware programmers may want to infect legitimate software without rendering the legitimate software inoperable. Thus, malware may be inserted into legitimate software in a manner that leaves the legitimate software operable. For example, malware may append a virus to the end of a word-processing program's executable file.
In an effort to combat malware, consumers may deploy anti-malware solutions that detect and remove infected files from computing devices. Some anti-malware solutions rely on malware signatures to identify infected files. Although anti-malware solutions may identify infected files without using malware signatures, such solutions may not be accurate or efficient. What is needed, therefore, is a mechanism that efficiently and effectively detects unknown malware for which a malware signature is not available.